Perfect Fudgy Brownie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What makes a brownie more fudgy? ›

Fudgy brownies have a higher fat-to-flour ratio than cakey ones. So add more fat—in this case, butter and chocolate. A cakey batch has more flour and relies on baking powder for leavening. The amount of sugar and eggs does not change whether you're going fudgy or cakey.

The best option is to wrap each brownie in an airtight wrapping such as plastic wrap. Wrapped brownies can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator and should be consumed within 1-2 days before they become dry and stale.

The desired consistency of your batter depends on what results you want to achieve, so there's not one exact answer to your question. Cakey brownie batter contains more flour so it'll appear thicker, while fudgy brownie batter has more butter or margarine and is therefore more “liquidy” (more fat, less flour).

Achieving a fudgy brownie is all to do with the ratio of fat to flour. A fudgy brownie recipe will use more fat than flour. Generally this is achieved by adding more butter or real chocolate to your brownie recipe. A cakey brownie recipe on the other hand will call for more flour in the ratio of fat to flour.

Fudgy brownies are moist, dense and gooey, with almost the texture of fudge, but not quite as compact. Chewy brownies are dense (like fudgy brownies), but have a little more “bite” to them or elastic texture when you chew them.

The truth is, fudgy brownies are slightly undercooked. The key is to make sure the center of the brownies is set and that the toothpick doesn't look too gooey when you remove it from the brownies.

Do Brownies Need to Be Refrigerated? Brownies don't need to be refrigerated, but they'll hold up a few more days if they are. Unless your brownies include more perishable ingredients like fresh fruit or cream cheese frosting, they'll be fine at room temperature as long as they're stored in an airtight container.

In fact, they solidify into even more fudgy brownie bits if you chill them in the fridge before slicing and serving. If you prefer less rich and gooey brownies, add 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time.

Though making brownie batter in advance is possible, it has to be done in a specific way to prevent spoiling. Because most brownie recipes call for eggs, the batter shouldn't sit out for longer than two hours before baking.

Over mixing brownie leads to too much air incorporation and can leave your brownie looking and tasting like a chocolate cake. Under mixing will lead to insufficient combination of your core ingredients and so the brownie texture will not form to perfection.

Why are my brownies not cooking in the middle? ›

Lower the oven temperature: One possible reason for the uneven cooking is that your oven temperature is too high. Lowering the temperature can help ensure that the middle of the brownies cooks properly without burning the edges [1]. Reduce the baking time: Another factor to consider is the baking time.

If you opt to add more eggs, say double the amount, something interesting happens. Even though you are adding more moisture, the air bubbles that you catch in the extra eggs add volume, which decreases the density of your final product. This makes your brownies rise and gives them a much more cake-like texture.

Too much flour? Go back to your edges - if they're not burnt, look a good colour (similar to the centre) but the brownie is too cakey and dry throughout, the recipe probably included too much flour.

First things first, bake your brownies on a rack positioned in the middle of your oven. If the pan is too close to the bottom, then the bottom could burn before the top gets a chance to bake. If it is too close to the top, then the top will bake too fast and leave raw brownie batter on the bottom.

Problem 2: My brownies are too GOOEY

If you think about it, the ingredients that create that fudgy texture - the chocolate and butter - are completely liquid when hot, but solid at room temperature. We would never attempt to slice a brownie less than 2-3 hours after baking - it'll be a gooey mess.

To test for doneness with a toothpick, insert a toothpick into the center of the brownies and pull it back out. For fudgy brownies, you'll want to see some moist crumbs attached to the toothpick when you pull it back out. If it looks like it's covered in brownie batter, the brownies will need to bake a bit longer.

But oil isn't the only key to a chewy brownie: Using dark brown sugar helps create that texture. Mixing in some white sugar gives you the shiny tops. However, the best touch for the chewy brownie experience comes at the very end. Chewy brownies must be slightly under-baked.